The Star-Spangled Banner

Questions for Round Table 1. I want to begin by getting the temperature or temperance of the panel. How would you decide the current racial and economic climate in the United States? 2. How do you feel about Kaepernick’s protest? I have heard people describe Kaepernick’s actions as between misguided and revolutionary, do you think Kaepernick’s protest is productive? 3. In a climate in which it is pretty clear Kaepernick will not play in the NFL this year, what do you think the most productive…

There are many important issues that are relevant in recent news, like sexism, or the controversy over the confederate flag. One thing that has caught many people’s attention in the sports world and all over is the Redskins name and logo. The issue is that their name and logo(an Indian head) is considered to be racist towards Native Americans. This has been seen as degrading and stereotyping Native Americans. The Redskins name may seem like a small issue just important to football fans but this…

To pull a Kaepernick is to kneel instead of stand during a football game national anthem, in order to protest racism in our country. David Brooks’ believes that standing is the only correct way to pledge patriotism, and is important to our society because it unifies us. In other words, the act of “pulling a Kaepernick” is setting us back further and further from becoming a truly unified nation. I challenge this idea completely. There is no one way to support a country, and there is no one way to…

When the poet Frances Scott Key saw the American flag gusting in the wind atop Fort McHenry in 1814, he was so in awe of what it represented that he crafted what would eventually become America’s national anthem, The Start Spangled Banner (Smithsonian). His lyrics eloquently illustrated the pride of an evolving nation and the resilience of the American flag, which served as the most exalted symbol of nationalism and civic pride. Two hundred years later, his brief moment of inspiration still…

The National Football League (NFL) handled the ray rice domestic dispute poorly. The league messed up with telling the truth about the video, putting image and public relations first as well as, making their own image seem more important than women’s rights. This situation could have been handled much better if they admitted it at first and and were honest. The NFL put their own public relations(PR) first in handling the Ray Rice affair. For example, soon after NFL supposedly received the…

Should Football Players have the Right to Kneel During The Anthem. Football players should not be able to kneel during the anthem. When people kneel during the anthem it is disrespectful to the flag, force, and anthem. The anthem is about honoring the people that have fallen in war and honoring America in all, and what we have accomplished.Others ways like raising your fist is protesting race not the anthem. As in the text it reads, ”Rashard Robinson (33) and Antoine Bethea (41) of the San…

Independence Day, or the 4th of July, is a U.S. national holiday celebrating the anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Many Americans celebrate Independence Day by shooting off fireworks, going to a parade, and enjoying the hot summer weather. My family drives down to Rockwood, Illinois for Independence Day and to visit my cousins Eddie, Katie, Emma, and Hannah. My favorite memory with my cousins was when we had a giant Independence Day Capture the Flag…

“I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it” (Voltaire). Often times people might see someone doing something unordinary people began to make a big deal out of it even if it does not affect them. Well recently many people have been starting to kneel down during the national anthem and the pledge. Some people argue that they should not be able to do this but others are not bothered with them expressing their opinion about their lives. With kneeling…

Many athletes were accused of “being traitors” or being a “disgrace to the country” for either turning their backs or kneeling down although people have to stand and put their right arm across their chest. Colin Kaepernick took a knee to police brutality, 21 year old Toni Smith turned her back to the flag because she was expressing herself to the war in Iraq in 2003. These athletes expressed their thoughts on many things. Athletes should be able to take a knee during the National Anthem, because…

As I walk onto the football field for the first game of the season I feel the cool air rise up my spine. I feel the energy from my team as we form together as one, we stand in the corner of the field ready to run out. Our helmets give off a brand new polish since we haven’t used them that much, they shine in the light giving us a bright glisten of navy blue and white. We huddle around and form a circle, our captains start a chant and we follow. When the announcer announces us we storm onto the…